Wolfgang Heyda (14 November 1913 – 21 August 1947) was a German

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

commander during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

War service

Heyda entered the Navy in 1932, serving aboard the cruiser and studying at

Mürwik Naval School The Naval Academy Mürwik (german: Marineschule Mürwik) is the main training establishment for all German Navy officers and in 1910 replaced the German Imperial Naval Academy in Kiel. ( which is now the seat of government or ''Landeshaus'' of ...

, before joining the pocket battleship at the start of the war. From 26 November 1940 to 19 May 1941 Heyda commanded , part of the 21st U-boat Flotilla, for his U-boat commander training, then took command of on 21 June 1941, beginning his first war patrol on 11 November. Near

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

Heyda's U-boat was involved in attacking convoy HG 76 which was heading to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. At dawn on 18 December ''U-434'' was sighted by the convoy's destroyers north of Madeira, in position and attacked with depth charges. ''U-434'' was forced to the surface and then rammed by the destroyer and sunk. Two members of ''U-434''s crew were killed and 42 were taken prisoner. Commander

Frederic John Walker Captain Frederic John Walker, (3 June 1896 – 9 July 1944) (his first name is given as Frederick in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography and some London Gazette entries) was a Royal Navy officer noted for his exploits during the Second ...

, , commander of the 36th Escort Group sank four U-boats on his first war patrol, including ''U-434''. Heyda was eventually sent to the Bowmanville POW camp in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, near

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Prisoner of war and escape attempt

At Bowmanville in October 1942 an insurrection of the prisoners protesting their being shackled took place for three days. The insurrection became known as the

Battle of Bowmanville The Battle of Bowmanville was a 1942 revolt in the Bowmanville prisoner of war camp (Camp 30) in Ontario, Canada. The prisoners, most of whom were higher-ranking German officers, objected to the intended shackling of 100 prisoners. The battle la ...

. Commander

Otto Kretschmer Otto Kretschmer (1 May 1912 – 5 August 1998) was a German naval officer and submariner in World War II and the Cold War. From September 1939 until his capture in March 1941 he sank 44 ships, including one warship, a total of 274,333 tons. For ...

was instrumental in the rebellion, having assaulted a Canadian guard and taken him prisoner. Operation Kiebitz, a plan to have

, Horst Elfe, Hans Ey and Hans Joachim Knebel-Döberitz escape and be picked up by a U-boat, was developed in 1942 and was to be executed in September 1943. Knebel-Döberitz was the former adjutant of Admiral Karl Dönitz. The successful escape of Kretschmer, a top U-boat ace, would be a major propaganda coup for the Germans. However, their escape plan was foiled, but Heyda made an escape via electric wires over a barbed wire fence. He then traveled to Pointe de Maisonnette,

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

on Chaleur Bay where he was to be picked up by a U-boat. Police forces in Canada and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

started a manhunt for the escaped POW. Heyda was captured on the beach at Pointe de Maisonnette where

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...

and

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

(RCN) were waiting for the U-boat to surface off-shore (the RCN had a substantial anti-submarine task force led by hidden nearby). Heyda was taken to the Pointe de Maisonnette lighthouse where Lieutenant Commander Desmond Piers of the Royal Canadian Navy commanded the operation. There, Piers confronted Heyda who claimed to be a tourist on vacation. Depth charges were heard in the bay, but the commander of , ''

Kapitänleutnant ''Kapitänleutnant'', short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( en, captain lieutenant) is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the German Bundeswehr. The rank is rated OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to Hauptmann in the Heer an ...

'' Rolf Schauenburg, evaded the attacking ships and made it safely into the Atlantic, only to be sunk six weeks later by ships of RN and RCN.

Death

Heyda was returned to Camp 30, and was eventually released in May 1947. He died of

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

in the

Kiel University Kiel University, officially the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel, (german: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in ...

health clinic just three months later on 21 August 1947.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Heyda, Wolfgang 1913 births 1947 deaths People from Pisz County People from East Prussia U-boat commanders (Kriegsmarine) Military history of Canada during World War II Deaths from polio German prisoners of war in World War II held by the United Kingdom